Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.
Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.
Chapter Thirty-Four: A Surging Gym Battle!
"Dig!" Lt. Surge shouted. "Your Charmander knows Dig?"
"Er… yeah," Red said, bemused. "You didn't think I was going to come into this battle completely unprepared, did you?"
Lt. Surge scowled at the boy. He had a point. And two Badges to go along with that point, which meant he knew what he was doing. Obviously.
He had to get his head in the game. That was it. He was down a Pokémon, but he could recover. He had to be smart. He had to be strong. He had to be the Vermilion Gym Leader.
But… that conversation, it was as if someone had thrown a mountain upon him, crushing him under its weight. The air surrounding him was thick and gelatinous, hard to move through and even harder to breathe.
No, he had to get over it, if only to win the battle. If he could get enough drive to defeat the boy, then he could take things from there.
But could he? Voltorb barely did anything to Charmander. How would the others fair? Unless…
He eyed Raichu, temptation whispering to him.
Red watched where Lt. Surge's gaze drifted to. "Hey, is your Raichu powerful?"
Lt. Surge started. "What?"
"Is your Raichu powerful?"
"He's my most powerful Pokémon."
"Why don't you use him, then?" Red said. "He'll inject some fire into this battle."
"No," Lt. Surge said, unconvincingly. "You've only got two Badges. He'll be too much for you to handle."
But as Lt. Surge said that, his thoughts took him back to the battle with that Blue kid, the kid who had announced himself as Professor Oak's grandson. Yes, he used Raichu against him, but that was only as a final effort, after Blue's Pinsir had already taken down two of his Pokémon already. Besides, he wanted to test out his battle skills against one who no doubt inherited the battling genes and astute knowledge of his grandfather.
However, Red was just a random boy. Would there be a point in sending out Raichu against him? No, there would not. Still, he needed to rid himself of his suffocating, dark feelings, and a come-from-behind victory would probably help. What was he to –
"So, you don't think you can take me even with your Raichu?"
Lt. Surge looked up sharply. "What?"
Red shook his head sadly and shrugged. "I thought you were going to be this really tough Gym Leader, but you're not giving me anything the random Trainers I've battled already haven't." He smirked. "Maybe you should just give me the Badge now and save your blushes."
Lt. Surge opened and closed his mouth like a Magikarp. What was this boy doing? He seemed so polite, so excitable a moment ago. Was he, the Gym Leader of Vermilion, so out of sorts even a child was mocking him? How dare he! He had battled for years, risked his life to protect innocents countless times, put other Trainers like Red to the sword more times than he could remember!
He clenched and unclenched his fists, a vein throbbing in his temple. "Don't get cocky, kid?" he growled. "The battle's not over yet."
"Are you sure?" Red said, almost bored. "It appears to me like you've given up if you're not going to go all out. Are you sure you're the Gym Leader?" He turned to Gregory, who stared back, stony-faced. "It's not Gregory, is it? He gave me a tougher time."
Charmander stared at Red, as though wondering what the heck he was doing.
"You've got a big mouth, kid."
"You think so?"
"It's going to feel so much better now when I crush you and send you crying to the Pokémon Centre." Lt. Surge gestured to the field. "Raichu, you're up."
Lt. Surge barely finished issuing the order when Raichu bounded forwards, cheeks crackling, a glare as hot as an inferno set on Red.
Red smiled. "You ready to get this party going again?"
"Party?" Lt. Surge chuckled. "No, this is going to be a massacre."
Thus, the battle was underway once again.
"Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge roared.
Raichu became surrounded by a yellow glow, cheeks lit up like fireworks. He fired off a stream of electricity at Charmander, power dwarfing that of Pikachu's Thunder Shock by a considerable margin, making the latter seem as though it was a mere jolt one got from rubbing their socks on carpets and touching someone else. Pikachu analysed Raichu closely.
But as powerful as the attack was, Charmander still had speed from his previous Flame Charge; he somersaulted out of the way of the electrical discharge, the Thunderbolt so close yet so far from giving him the shock of his life.
"Ember!" Red shouted.
Raichu received Charmander's message to the face but brushed it off and tried to send another electrical reply, which Charmander did well to evade for a second time.
"Running away is not gonna get you the win, kid," Lt. Surge said.
Red grinned. "That's only part of my plan."
Charmander's claws shone metallically as he rushed at Raichu, whose own tail glowed in the same way as he swung it. The deafening din of metal on metal clashing reverberated throughout the Gym. Charmander was flung backwards and landed heavily on his back.
Red's face fell. "Charmander?"
Gradually, Charmander rose to his feet. However, it was so slow that Lt. Surge's order of Play Rough was executed and Raichu wailed on Charmander with punches and kicks, a ferocious onslaught that had a degree of playfulness to them, surprisingly enough. Charmander reeled but stayed on his feet and responded with a Flame Charge, slamming into Raichu, causing him to squeal in discomfort.
Red gritted his teeth. Raichu was indeed a mighty Pokémon; despite Iron Tail and Play Rough not being very effective against Charmander, his little lizard was already almost down. And he was still clueless as to what Raichu's fourth move was.
Nevertheless, they had even more speed now, which proved ever so useful in dodging another Thunderbolt and finding sanctuary underground.
Charmander burst from the Gym floor and headbutted Raichu in the face before diving back beneath the surface. Again and again, Charmander used Dig to evade that one strike that would take him out and hit back super effectively.
This was good. This was great. They had speed. They had a super effective move. It was only a matter of time until Raichu went the same way as Voltorb…
"Behind you!" Lt. Surge bellowed. "Grab hold of Charmander!"
"What?"
Dirt was flung everywhere and Charmander ascended from his earthy domain. But instead of greeting Raichu with a wallop to the face, Charmander was held in a loving embrace by Raichu's long, whip-like tail. He struggled to loosen himself, to no avail.
"Thunderbolt," Lt. Surge said softly.
Charmander screamed as volts upon volts of electricity coursed through his body, lighting him up like a holiday decoration.
Then it was over.
Raichu's tail relaxed.
Charmander fell to the floor.
Gregory made the call.
"How… how did you know where Charmander was going to come from?" Red asked.
"You had a pattern going on," Lt. Surge explained. "We had to take a few hits to figure it out."
"A pattern?" Red said, returning Charmander to his Poké Ball. "We haven't been working on any patterns."
"Maybe not," Lt. Surge said. "But there was one. Probably subconscious. There's usually always a pattern or style to be found."
Red smiled wryly and whispered his thanks to Charmander.
Lt. Surge looked down upon the boy. "Now we're going to finish the rest of your team off. How does it feel knowing you're going to lose badly to me after what you said, kid? You can come back for a rematch with a better attitude next time."
Lt. Surge expected a retort, a snappy quip, perhaps even a vulgar word. Not laughter though. And it was not the laughter one would have expected from someone who said what he said. It was not a cruel laugh. It was not a prideful laugh. It was an innocent chuckle that exploded into chortles of merriment and mirth.
"What are you laughing at?" Lt. Surge demanded to know.
"I'm just glad," Red said, wiping a jovial tear from his eye. "When I met you, I thought you seemed out of it. I don't want to have a battle against someone whose heart isn't in it. And I wanted you to go all out against me."
"Wait. You mean –"
"I was just winding you up to get you to battle me at your max," Red said. He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "I'm sorry I said that stuff, but I thought it would be a good way to get you to not hold back at all. I'm even sorrier that I had to channel Blue to do it." He shuddered. "I'm going to feel dirty for weeks."
Red smiled apologetically before continuing. "Maybe there's something on your mind, I don't know. And maybe I'm selfish for trying to get you to forget it, even for a little bit. But my family have always said that you should only battle at one hundred percent because you bring down the occasion and the morale of your Pokémon too if you don't. Unless things are really, really bad, of course," he added quickly. "Then no one can blame you."
Lt. Surge's mouth took on the form of a grimace.
The grimace evolved into a smirk.
The smirk evolved into a grin.
Was it that simple? He had been trying to rouse himself from his stupor, but did he need someone else to help him? Did he really need a kid to come along and boost him back up? He thought of Lyn and Elly and it caused a nest of Ekans to writhe around in the pit of his stomach, but could he forget it, just for a little while, until this battle was over? Could he, for a time, forget everything until the final Pokémon had fallen and a victor was declared and then transport himself back to the world of his tiny family? Could he do that?
Oh yes, he could.
He would.
"Thanks, kid," Lt. Surge said. "Don't worry, this battle's got all my attention now. I'm gonna show you the true power of the Vermilion City Gym Leader."
"That's awesome," Red said, pulling out a second Poké Ball. "Clefairy, you're up."
Clefairy twirled and pranced, singing a delightful melody, appearing to all the world as though she was simply going to have a fun day at the park. Pikachu snapped at her and pointed at Raichu, as though saying 'Keep your head in the game, Clefairy! That dude who kind of looks like me but isn't as handsome is really tough!'. Clefairy turned back and gave him a thumbs-up before going back to frolicking. Pikachu groaned.
"Let's go! Iron Tail!" Lt. Surge commanded.
A Steel-type move against a Fairy-type? It did not look good, especially as it would no doubt take Clefairy out in a single hit. But the metallic tail only grazed the curls upon her head as Raichu lost sight of her thanks to her body glowing with a blinding light. Raichu screeched and stumbled backwards, rubbing his eyes vigorously.
"Great, Clefairy!" Red said. "Now use Charm!"
Clefairy cosied up to Raichu and crooned, blinking innocently up at him, who peered back through half-closed eyes and whined. But that rather charming moment had to end. And end it did when Clefairy fired a flurry of shining, green leaves at Raichu. Raichu winced but took steps back, eager to get away from Clefairy and reorganise himself.
Lt. Surge cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. That Clefairy's status techniques were such a nuisance, and he did not have a Pokémon with Taunt. He had to take a risk. He needed to knock Clefairy out asap:
"Volt Tackle!"
A rush of power.
A storm of electricity.
Raichu was as yellow as a Pikachu. No, more. The yellow energy engulfed it, spluttering and hissing much like the gate to the battlefield. He stormed across the field, a destructive force of voltage that would hit harder than a truck. Raichu walloped Clefairy, both being consumed by the electricity, going and going until they crashed into the wall behind Red, a wall which partly collapsed.
"Clefairy!" Red screamed, sprinting over.
From the dust and rubble emerged Raichu, wincing even more, making his way gingerly back over to his Trainer.
Red dropped to his knees, urging a severely wounded Clefairy to get up. She stirred, eyes dazed and glassy.
"What kind of move was that?" Red shouted to Lt. Surge.
"Volt Tackle," the Gym Leader replied. "It's basically an Electric-type Double-Edge, meaning it packs a punch but the recoil is one heck of a hangover. Only members of the Pikachu line can learn it." He folded his arms across his barrellike chest. "I think you should return Clefairy and send out your last Pokémon."
Down to one Pokémon. Did Pikachu really have it in him to take down Raichu and the third without any backup? Well, it was his fault. He did get Lt. Surge to use Raichu after all.
Red held out Clefairy's Poké Ball just as Gregory was about to declare her unable to battle. However, to everyone's disbelief, Clefairy heaved herself up, knocking aside the rubble which were using her a mattress. Her breathing was laboured, her eyes now were practically shut, her smile was gone, but she was still conscious.
"Clefairy," Red whispered. "Clefairy, the Volt Tackle didn't take you down. How?"
'How?' is what Lt. Surge asked himself. How could a Clefairy endure a full-power Volt Tackle without using Endure or sporting a Focus Sash or Band? Then it hit him: it was not a full-powered Volt Tackle. Charm had lowered Raichu's attack. Clefairy must have had enough bulk to take it, perhaps left with only a sliver of health, maybe her own determination enough to ensure she would be left standing.
He chuckled to himself. The kid had raised his Pokémon amazingly. He would go far. But for now, this would be where he stopped.
"Raichu!" he called. "Use Thunderb –"
"Clefairy, return."
Clefairy sighed whimsically as she was sucked back into her Poké Ball.
"What are you doing, kid?" Lt. Surge asked.
"Making a substitution," Red said. "Maybe I can use her later. She's done enough so far."
"She won't be much use," Lt. Surge said. "Any attack will finish her off the next time you send her out."
"Maybe," Red said. "But who knows? Maybe my next Pokémon will be more than enough to win me the Badge now."
"And who's that?"
"You're up buddy. Knock 'em dead."
Pikachu darted forwards and grinned devilishly at Raichu, who returned it. Their cheeks sparked, their tails were erect, their super-charged aura surrounded them.
"Pikachu?" Lt. Surge said. "Wow, that brings back memories. But you realise Pikachu's just a lesser Raichu in battle terms? Maybe if you had a Thunder Stone…"
Pikachu made a disgusted face and shouted something at Lt. Surge, who snorted. "Heck of a mouth your Pikachu's got," he said. "Fine, I'm gonna clean this up quick."
Gregory counted down for the battle to recommence.
"Raichu, Play Rough!"
"Pikachu, Double Team!"
The clones of Pikachu dispersed into nothingness at Raichu's aggressive yet frisky assault, but the real one was left untouched. So untouched in fact that Pikachu had all the time in the world to hammer his tail deep into Raichu's stomach, leaving him tender, susceptible to an even stronger hit from another Rock Smash.
An Iron Tail from Raichu followed, his tail striking the ground as opposed to Pikachu, who barely moved out of the way of the metallic, concussion-inducing thump.
"Volt Tackle!" Lt. Surge bellowed, immediately after Iron Tail failed.
"Rock Smash!" Red countered.
Once again, Raichu transformed into a yellow bolt of electricity and hurtled towards Pikachu, who swung his tail in an arc, connecting with the Volt Tackle. Pikachu squealed as Raichu charged right through his attack, sending the pre-evolved Pokémon spinning through the air; Raichu skidded to a stop, almost crashing into the wall once more, wincing as the reckless attack chipped away at his health. He tottered back over to his Trainer.
"You good, Pikachu?" Red called.
Pikachu jumped to his feet, a fierce mien on his face.
"Awesome," Red said. "Use Zippy Zap!"
Before Lt. Surge or Raichu had a chance to blink, Pikachu raced across the battlefield, electric sparks lining his body. Raichu fell to his back with an oomph.
"Zippy Zap?" Lt. Surge said, mouth agape. "Zippy Zap? What kind of move is that?"
"Electric-type Quick Attack that always gets a critical hit," Red explained. "This dude called Evan helped us learn it."
Lt. Surge gave a low whistle. "That's one hell of a technique. But I'd still say this one's superior: Volt Tackle!"
"Zippy Zap!"
The two Electric-types sped towards each other, overcharged and fired up.
They met in the middle.
Pikachu was sent sailing.
Raichu skidded to a stop, breathing rough, visage contorted in pain.
However, Pikachu was not out of it, getting right back up. Red breathed a sigh of relief.
But how long would that relief last? That Raichu was just not going down. Both Charmander and Pikachu had done a copious amount of damage to him, with the added bonus of the Volt Tackle recoil effect thrown in, yet he still stayed on his feet. Maybe that was why he was Lt. Surge's strongest Pokémon? He just kept going. He was a soldier after all. But even a soldier could not keep up the effort indefinitely. Another hit or two had to be enough, right?
But what to do? Raichu's attack was reduced, but he still packed a punch. And there was still one other Pokémon left! If Pikachu fell or took more damage, then the battle was as good as lost.
Red gritted his teeth as Pikachu avoided another Play Rough, using his Zippy Zap to race around the field, eager to avoid Raichu's limbs making acquaintance with any part of his body, stopping and starting on a dime. For a split second, Red wondered if Volt Tackle would one day replace Zippy Zap. If it was the line's signature technique, then it would be fitting. But Zippy Zap was a much better move in his opinion; the priority, the constant critical hits, no recoil damage, and the fact Pikachu was not limited to charging forward in a straight line, unable to change directions when using the technique, unable to respond to a well-placed counter strike…
Wait…
Oho, did Red suddenly have a plan?
"Keep dodging, Pikachu!" he shouted. "Keep using Zippy Zap to get away!"
Pikachu did not need to be told twice. A tail of iron sunk itself into the place he previously vacated scarcely a second before, Raichu's fists found only air, an explosive jolt of electricity failed to hit its mark.
Yes. They had to just keep doing that. Double Team would be good, but there was still the risk of getting hit; Zippy Zap meant Pikachu could keep his distance better.
Red looked at Lt. Surge. The Gym Leader was hunched over, shouting orders at Raichu, slapping his thigh every time their attack missed. They were close, so close…
"I'm done with this!" he roared. "Volt Tackle!"
There it was. Red had to be quick: "Jump over Raichu and use Rock Smash!"
As the bright yellow streak that was Raichu made its way to hopefully end Pikachu, the latter leapt over him and spun. His tail struck the back of Raichu's neck.
The yellow glow surrounding Raichu dissipated, the surging power dead in an instant.
Pikachu and Raichu glared at each other, but only the former was able to keep his stare strong; Raichu's eyes shut, felled by his less mature self, and Lt. Surge's greatest Pokémon was declared incapable of continuing the fight.
"Yeah!" Red whooped. "Awesome, Pikachu! We took him down! One more to go!"
Pikachu grinned smugly at Raichu's fallen figure.
Lt. Surge was lost for words, Raichu's Poké Ball gripped tightly in his hand, so tightly it might have broken on another day. Raichu fell. That was not a surprise as every Pokémon had to lose at some point or the other, but to fall to two beginning Trainers within days of each other? It should have been infuriating. Lt. Surge should have been itching to punch something. But he wasn't. On the contrary, something welled up within him: pride. Pride in the fact that he was being pushed so far. Pride in the fact that the future generation of Pokémon Trainers seemed bright. Pride in the fact that his current opponent was forcing him to remember what it truly meant to battle, to lose oneself to the experience and forget everything else, even if only for a short time.
"You really took down Raichu, kid," he shouted to Red, grinning. "You're something else, you know that?"
"Is that a good thing?" Red asked, frowning. "My friend Leaf used to say things like that to me, but I don't think she meant it in a good way."
"Don't worry, it's a good thing," Lt. Surge said. "You've got me in a corner. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna come quietly. My last guy's gonna make sure of that."
He whispered a word of thanks to Raichu's Poké Ball and pulled out another, a Great Ball. And from it came a Pokémon Red's Pokédex was only to happy to enlighten him on:
Electabuzz, the Electric-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Elekid. It loves to feed on strong electricity. It occasionally appears around large power plants and so on.
Electabuzz roared and thumped its chest. A bipedal Pokémon that was covered in yellow fur with black stripes running around its arms, legs, and tail, other black markings on its body being a lightning bolt on its chest and a 'v' on its forehead, the latter making it appear as though it had a monobrow. It had no visible ears, only antennae, and two thick, long strands of fur that stood atop its head.
"You may have taken down Raichu," Lt. Surge said, "but Electabuzz's not too shabby."
Red stayed silent, wanting to remain stoic for the last couple of legs of the battle, partly due to the fact he wanted to squeal over the fact he was going to battle a real life Electabuzz; he could swear it was a Pokémon Mint used in last year's Pokémon League and if memory served him correctly, it proved to be quite electrifying.
"Are both the challengers ready to recommence the battle?" Gregory asked.
The challengers said yes.
And so, the last lap of the race was to be run.
Electabuzz slammed its fist into Pikachu's back with a devastating Brick Break.
Pikachu responded with a savage Rock Smash to Electabuzz's face.
Electabuzz's fist crackled with electricity as did Pikachu's entire body. Thunder Punch and Zippy Zap met, the attacks not very effective but leaving Electabuzz's arm numb and Pikachu limping as the latter came off worse, the effects of the arduous battle with Raichu making themselves known with a vengeance.
"Brick Break again!" Lt. Surge roared.
"Double Team!" Red countered.
Electabuzz's fist passed through one of the illusory clones before Pikachu responded to the attempt to take it out with another Rock Smash, striking Electabuzz in its side.
Brick Break missed again as Zippy Zap took Pikachu out of reach, and his tail once again found Electabuzz's side.
"Brick Break!" came the next (and same) command.
"Double Team," said Red.
Pikachu shivered and multiples of it appeared, each Pika-clone grinning condescendingly at Electabuzz, as though saying 'What else have you got?'.
Another miss. However, before Red and Pikachu could retaliate, Lt. Surge called forth for a different attack: "Swift!"
Electabuzz opened its mouth and a glowing ball of light formed. From the glowing ball of light, golden stars were born and sped like bullets towards the Pika-clones, tearing through them all with a ravenous frenzy.
The clones dissolved.
Pikachu was a sitting Psyduck.
Only one more Brick Break was needed to end Pikachu's heroic effort in the Gym Battle.
"Good job, Electabuzz," Lt. Surge said to his Pokémon, giving it a thumbs-up. Electabuzz beamed back.
Red picked Pikachu up and deposited him onto the bench behind him, setting him next to his rucksack. "You took out Raichu and put up a heck of a fight against Electabuzz," he said. "Take a nice, long rest."
Yes, Pikachu deserved a good rest. But now it was Clefairy's turn (again).
"Did your Pikachu eat a Light Ball or something?" Lt. Surge asked Red once he had taken his place back on the field.
"Light Ball?" Red repeated, brow furrowed.
"It's an item that boosts a Pikachu's power," Lt. Surge explained. "My Raichu used to hold one. Don't your Pokémon use hold items?"
"Er…"
The Gym Leader shrugged. "Anyway, I was just saying that maybe your Pikachu seems too strong for where it is now. I would've said he's a Raichu in a Pikachu's body, considering how well he did. Maybe he swallowed a Light Ball?" he added, chortling.
"I hope not," Red said with a wry smile.
The next second, the final round was due to get underway, the two Pokémon on the field hunched over and breathing hard.
"It's already over," Lt. Surge said, puffing out his chest, hands on his hips. "Electabuzz has more in the tank. Your Clefairy took the Volt Tackle from Raichu, but it can't take anymore."
"You sure about that?"
Lt. Surge frowned. "I don't know where you're getting that confidence from, kid."
"Here's my confidence: Clefairy, use Life Dew!"
With a heavenly cry, Clefairy held one hand over her head and wiggled her finger. A sphere of water materialised a couple of metres over her, bursting with rainbows as the light shone through it, an aquatic jewel.
It dropped upon her, but she did not get wet. No, instead the bruises and fatigue gained from the destructive Volt Tackle somewhat vanished, leaving a Clefairy who sang and spun and pranced, although not as ardently as she would have otherwise.
"A healing move?" Lt. Surge said under his breath. He grinned. Well, if he was going to go down, then he was going to go down fighting. "Thunder Punch!"
Electabuzz socked Clefairy in the face; Clefairy held on and used another Life Dew.
A barrage of Thunder Punches followed, but they only weakened as Clefairy's Charm rendered them almost useless. Even switching to special-based Swift yielded hardly anything.
It was over, one hundred and ten point seventy-five percent. A Magical Leaf broke through the starry Swift wall and decimated Electabuzz, who swayed before collapsing backwards, felled by the mystical hands of the pink fairy.
The call was made. Clefairy was victorious. She, Charmander, and Pikachu had fought valiantly and gifted Red with his third Badge.
A loss always felt like a kick to the gut, but not this time. Lt. Surge laughed heartily as he marched over to a Red swinging his Clefairy around, hooking Electabuzz's Poké Ball to his belt. He dipped his hand into his pocket.
"You fought well, kid." Hr frowned and corrected himself. "You fought well, Red. That's the best battle I've had in ages – more than you'll ever know. You electrified me! I'm glad there are gutsy Trainers like you around."
"Hey, thanks," Red said, putting Clefairy down. "Man, you really pushed me. But I'm glad you went all out in the end."
"So am I." For now, Lt. Surge would do his Gym Leader duties, lose himself to the battles, just like Red said. He would organise himself, keep everyone happy, family and otherwise. He would not fall again. He pulled his hand out of his pocket. "Here you go: the Thunder Badge. You earned it."
Red plucked the Badge from Lt. Surge's baseball mitt-sized hand and studied it. It was an orange, octagonal jewel surrounded by eight points, reminding him of the sun or a star.
Clefairy jumped up and down, waving her arms and legs. Pikachu toddled over, fur ruffled, steps sore, although he did spare Lt. Surge a cheeky glance as if to say 'Bet you weren't expecting that'.
Red continued to gaze at the Thunder Badge. Three Badges down. Five to go. Their dream of the Pokémon League became more real, more tangible. His team was getting stronger. He was getting stronger. The momentum was with them, a train chugging forth full throttle, no one capable of stopping the rush to their destination.
They could only keep rising.
